The Whammy Chronicles: 10 Days of Hell
by Ashura5000
Summary: After a fight, both Near and Mello are punished by L by losing the things most precious to them for 10 days, and if they try and take them back... there future as his successors is over! How will the boys survive 10 days of hell?
1. Day 0: A Bet?

**The Whammy Chronicles**

**10 Days of Hell**

[Mello, Near, Matt, Linda, Watari, Roger and L are all characters created by Tsugumi Ohba, as are the places involved.

Day 0

It was certainly a beautiful July day; the sun was shining through the trees into the Whammy's house, and as the residents within opened there eyes and stirred, the promise of a new day dawning upon them, two boys were already at each others throats.

The first child, Nate River, was sitting on the floor and his eyes had the, strangely odd, mixture of rage held within them. His right hand rested on his puzzle, a pure white game with a small L in the corner, whilst his other held the, slightly melted mind you, chocolate bar.

The other child, however, seemed to be retaliating, glaring down at the white haired child and currently held in his own hands a large toy robot, before pointing at the bar of chocolate and demanding slowly;

"Give it back. Or I swear I will smash this, Near."

Nate's eyes narrowed as Mihael Keehl pointing hand turned into an open palm, but the young boy knew how his sudden opponents mind worked, and he responded calmly;

"Mello, you and I both know that there is a 80 probability that after I hand back your bar, you are still gonna smash my toy just out of spite. With those odds, me keeping hold of the bar is the only thing that grants me the power of saving my figures life for these extra few seconds."

The blonde haired boy growled, and proceeded at that point to snap an entire leg of the action figure, making his enemies eyes widen and, almost daringly, take a bite of the chocolate bar (eyes widening at the strange sensation), and both stopped and stared at each other.

"I calculated a 78 probability you would respond by biting my chocolate bar, Near." Smirked Mello arrogantly, sweating slightly as the orphanages temperature seemed to rise around them, creating an almost sweltering balance between the two rivals (granted, slightly one sided, but it existed).

Unbeknownst to the two boys, standing nearby on a mantelpiece were three gentleman, watching the display with interest. As the two older men watched, waiting for some sign that they should intervene, the other bit his thumb and calculated in his own head, the odds of who would win.

"Watari, Roger, who would you place your bets on personally?" He asked finally, turning to his two friends and smiling with a glint of mischievous in his eyes.

The two older men once again glanced at each other, and finally (after a longer pause) Roger said calmly; "I would say Near, he will probably use some clever tactic in order to deceive Mello."

"And you, Watari?"

"Well, my reasoning says that Mello will… somewhat win this argument, but I don't see-."

"You are absolutely right." L said, cutting across his friend and explaining; "Mello has strong emotional connections with everything, he will more likely resort to rage and attack Near before he could even think of a suitable plan. Mello is more of an act first kind of guy, like me, but Near has the same mind as me, but prefers to plan out situations with absolute perfection." He stopped and stared at the two boys, smiling; "I dare say, together they could surpass me."

"How did this come about though? Near would never take anything of Mello's, and Mello would certainly never resort to just confronting Near on purpose." Asked Watari, glancing at Roger who lowered his head and muttered;

"Those boys… This whole situation was an accident. Near was merely tidying away his toys, he does that in the morning for some reason, and Mello came in and announced he was looking for a bar of chocolate he had misplaced. Near found it, but when he started tidying his puzzle, Mello figured he was trying to steal it, and so took his robot hostage."

"Hostages… Interesting idea." Muttered L, giving Watari a side glance before suddenly another snap was heard.

"YOU!" Screamed Mello, glaring at Near who had, apparently, broken off a single section of the bar and had, now, thrown it behind Mello, now giving the older boy a choice of which was worth the hassle.

"If you take the piece I just threw, and set down my robot, I will give you the rest. I swear." Near explained calmly, now twirling his hair with his hand- but Mello suddenly reacted, throwing a fist so fast that even L shouted out in protest.

Red exploded from Near's noise as, to everyone shock, he fell backwards after receiving a powerful blow from the much older child who quickly took the initiative, dropped the robot, grabbed his chocolate and ran for the other piece- but he tripped suddenly as Near's leg shot out and caused him to stumble.

"Son of- You'll pay!" Cried Mello as his chocolate bar flew, once again, through the air, and soon the two boys were wrestling on the ground violently.

"You two are meant to take over for me?" Asked L 43 seconds later, having leapt from the staircase and, quite simply, separated the two after, quite literally, lifting Mello from Near and holding him back with his foot.

Then, to rub salt into the wounds, he held in his hands both a bar of chocolate and the broken action figure, keeping them just out of the boys reach.

Mello and Near, now standing next to each other (not looking at each other mind you) looked both humiliated and, above all, slightly pained as the older man, the one they looked up to, scolded them for acting like kids.

"You two are meant to be the kids who take over for me, whether separately or together, if I ever die. Mind you, Matt is also a possibility, but you two are the more promising, and thus I expect you to act maturely."

"But he stole my-." Snapped Mello suddenly, but L cut across bluntly, now biting his thumb, "Whether or not he did or he did not, you struck him, and he retaliated. Now, my trust in both of you has dropped 5, and so you both must earn it back."

He lowered himself to there level, holding the items in his hands, and- suddenly smirking- handed Near the chocolate bar once again, and Mello the action figure.

The two boys glanced at each other, eyes wide with shock and disbelief, as L suddenly explained; "This is a contest."

Behind him, both Roger and Watari glanced at each other and the former muttered; "Do you have any idea what he's planning?"

"None, I think its pure instinct mostly."

"For the next 10 days!" Snapped L suddenly loudly, "You two are going to live without your respective… habits. Near, you will survive without playing with any toys, although playing with other kids is not forbidden, and Mello will survive without eating any chocolate and must eat pure healthy food."

"YOU'RE INSANE!" Cried Mello, pointing at his idol with fear in his eyes, and with a very uncharacteristic glance at his enemy was proud to see that even Near seemed to be taken a-back, and now looked around for his puzzle and (after noting it wasn't finished) instead twisted a clump of his hair around, and then at his idol with his eyes darting about madly with uncertainty.

"This is your punishment, certainly it seems hard, but if either of you two don't complete the 10 days… you will BOTH be unable to succeed me, thereby making you two support each other. Off course, it will officially start tomorrow, so get in a full day of playing and… chocolate, kids."

He then turned away, and with a glance at Watari and Roger then added; "I will be staying here for the next 10 days to oversee you two as well, so don't think you can sneak around." And with that, he left the room, leaving the two boys holding the bar of chocolate, and the action figure, and with a final glance at each other Mello said arrogantly; "God. This is so your fault, Near."

The white haired kid, however, was now on the floor and hastily finished his puzzle, counting down the hours until the next day, praying that he could fight a whole 10 days worth of solo fun into a single 24 hours.

To be Continued...

Authors Note: Hi! I'm writing this as I've just gotten into the Death Note fandom, so I'd really enjoy some comments about how I portrayed the characters, as well as any ideas anyone has for the situations I'm more than likely going to inflict upon the young lands during there dry spells.  
Also, for those wondering about my Simpsons: Real Life story, I WILL be re-writing it, so please be patient!


	2. Day 1: Part 1

**The Whammy Chronicles**

**10 Days of Hell**

[Mello, Near, Matt, Linda, Watari, Roger and L are all characters created by Tsugumi Ohba, as are the places involved.

Day 1: Part 1

Mello was, as always, the first to awaken the next morning.

Having crammed a full 10 days worth of candy into a single hour (wasting no time, I assure you) he had fallen asleep at his normal time and now awoke with a dreadful sense.

He was exhausted.

Naturally, the amazing sugar rush one would feel after digesting so much chocolate would normally give way to such sensations on a normal person, and after a daily routine of Matt (who by the way was still asleep) immediately giving him a new, slightly warm, bar… it wasn't surprising that, straight off, Mello was struggling.

He flumped back onto his pillow and put his arms behind his head, trying to divert his thoughts, but, as most people know, when you try and divert your thoughts it just keeps you at what your trying to escape.

After twenty minutes, he found his mouth salivating, and knowing he had to find something (and fast) he bounded to his feat and took off for the kitchen, not knowing what he was gonna digest, but knew it had to be tasty, and had to distract him.

What he didn't expect, however, was walking into the kitchen and- to his annoyance- seeing L sitting casually (well, as casual as L sat) biting his thumb and eating, out of all the things he could, a chocolate donut.

"Hungry?" He asked bluntly, pointing at the bowl beside him and explained; "It's your breakfast, I figured you'd like something crunchy."

Mello leapt into the seat, still glaring at his idol, and rose the spoon and saw, to his frustration, it was simple plain boring cereal with milk.

Not chocolate milk either.

He cursed in his mind, and then as L took another bite of his donut, the blonde haired kid whimpered and raised the spoon to his lips, glanced at the clock, then whimpered again, finally swallowing it and coughing madly.

"People call this food?!" He cried angrily, pushing the bowl away and sitting like a spoiled child whilst L took another bite and shrugged; "Who knows, I personally enjoy my sweets, but that's just preference."

"And I enjoy my chocolate, cant I just have some?"

"Sure. Apologise to Near though."

"I'd rather die."

"Then eat your cereal."

Mello cursed again, then asked; "What is the percentage that me and Near will succeed?"

"Alone? Less than 10 percent. Together? Odds rise at 96 percent. Baring in mind there is a 4 percent chance of error; it is very early this morning."

Cursing a third time, and then glaring at the bowl before him, Mello got to his feat and announced; "Well, looks like it's gonna be the 10 bet, because me and Near do NOT work together."

-+-+-+-

Speaking of Near, the white haired kid had just opened his eyes and, in order to not tempt himself, immediately put his new plan into action. Creating a game within his mind the day before, he decided to move all his toys into the attic within two hours, and if he was unable to do so… he lost.

Near never lost.

Smiling, he picked up his puzzles and put them in a pile, then (after careful analysing and deducing of various times and situations) decided that he would first take care of the various action figures littered about the room, as those were more likely to attract his attention.

The Transformers, the Gundams, even a few Eva's, all were packaged away neatly and carefully, and after a brief moment of pity he picked up the boxes and carried them through the cold, lonely hallways and up the stairs to the attic, taking care to place them in an area he knew would be safe from the hands of other, much less careful, children.

Next, the puzzles and board games. Since they belonged to the actual residents of the orphanage, Near had no choice but to place them back in the game room, cursing in his mind (a foreign concept he was aware) that he was no forbidden from entering the room for another 9 days, unless it was… to interact.

He cursed in his mind again.

As to be expected, Near worked hard and quickly into the morning, and just as the two hour mark hit he sat down on his bed once again, aware that the house was slowly coming more and more alive, and twirled his white hair with a single finger, unsure as to what to do now.

"Bored?" Came a voice, and after a moment of uncertainty Near responded casually; "Yes. If you are talking to me, then I shall respond by saying that I am certainly bored."

L crouched on the bed, biting his thumb, and without making eye contact said bluntly; "People like us, we don't really like a lot of interaction. Do we?"

Near nodded, still twirling his hair, then asked; "It's not that I don't mind, I just don't make the first effort. If someone wants to talk to me, they will."

The older boy nodded, then (biting his thumb still) suggested; "I heard that Linda is looking for someone to draw, she's very good at art you know, why don't you suggest helping out? Be a kind of… model."

There was silence a bit longer, then the child nodded and L got to his feat, patting him on the head and then leaving, certain he'd just made his game a lot more interesting…

-+-+-+-

"Matt. I'm dying."

"It's been three hours. It takes longer for my Pikachu to die after it's been hit with the Poison attack by a Level 3 Weedle-."

"Matt. I can't survive 10 days. Without chocolate, it's like I'm Superman and I'm stuck on an Island of kryptonite."

"That would be a terrible plot for a film, but either way, it's only been three hours. Surely you're not THAT dependant? I mean, yea, it's been nice not having to bring you candy every morning… but to see you like THIS…"

Mello was splashed out on the sofa, his breathing was (dramatically) slow, and whilst his friend continued tapping away on the Gameboy Advance SP (Silver), he opened his eyes and stared at the glowing chandelier that currently decorated the room.

"Without the sugar rush, and the taste, it's like I'm just a big pile of… slush."

"Slush?"  
"Yea. It's a word. It's like… Wet snow."

Matt shrugged, biting a finger with a frustrated clamp and after, what appeared to be a devastating blow by the enemy Weedle, slammed his fist down onto the side of the sofa and muttered; "God I need a smoke…"

"What?"  
"I said I heard a funny joke."

"Oh, well don't tell me now, what with the whole dying thing and all…"

Matt shrugged once more, then got to his feat (allegedly to change the batteries in his Gameboy) when he heard a strong feminine voice coming from the hallway and, interested, grabbed Mello's arm and dragged him to the door.

"Ow, you son of a-."  
"Shh! It's Linda, she's talking to someone about modelling!"

The voice continued, undisturbed, and as Mello finally straightened himself up and listened intently, he wondered loudly; "Who'd be stupid enough? Linda's not THAT good an artist…"

"I said shut up!" Snapped Matt, biting his finger and punching the blonde haired kid on the arm, as the voice of Linda drew closer;

"-I'm still surprised you offered, no-one ever likes me to draw them, they say my style is too realistic. They all like to see cartoons and stuff, but I just don't like drawing that."

Someone obviously replied, not loud enough to hear mind, and she responded quickly; "I guess, but aren't you supposed to be- Oh? A bet with Mello? No chocolate or toys?"

Mello's eyes widened, and Matt burst out laughing as, from around the corner, emerged the smiling girl leading the white haired (and confused) Near, who currently possessed several paint sets, pencils, and continued to drop pieces of paper onto the ground.

As he disappeared around the next corner, still seemingly amazed that Linda was STILL talking, Mello grabbed Matt and cried; "He's winning!"

"He's socialising, it's hardly a big deal."

"NOT A BIG DEAL!? He's taken a step already! He is gonna last all 10 days just by distracting himself, and I'm gonna be complaining and dying of sugar deprivation!"

Matt struggled against the grip on the front of his shirt, and said kindly instead; "Dude, seriously, it's nothing that impressive. All he's done is distract himself for a few hours, why not do the same? Play some soccer, play a game, watch a film-."

"WHENEVER I DO THAT STUFF, I'M EATING CHOCOLATE!"

Matt had had enough, and after rubbing his eyes frustratingly, he drew back his fist and bopped the blonde haired kid right on his forehead and shouted; "Tag. You're it."

Running from the room as fast as he could, shouting as loud as he could, the house soon came aware that the famous lightning fast Mello was now deprived of his sugary delicious substance, and was now having to run after the other residents in order to un-tag himself, a feat that lasted a good few hours of the day, bringing about a sort of frustrated smile upon his face as kid after kid seemed to elude him.

That, and he envisioned wonderful punishments in store for Matt, most involving a lack of batteries and a missing SP…

Near, however, was ever the gentleman and stayed with Linda for the most part of the day, ignoring the other kids who ran around the house madly and, whilst he did note that his mind was finding it difficult to focus, he did seem to be noticing a fair few things about the house, and himself, one of which came to light when Linda showed him the first picture she drew…;

"My hair's white?"

-+-+-+-

Authors Note: The first part, of the first day? Well, this way I can move onto the evening of the first day in the next chapter, rather than dealing everything in one go.  
As for the comments regarding spelling and grammer... One of the things I have noticed, whenever I DO post a story, is that I have a habit of not actually re-reading the chapter, because, I see it as, if my computer has not bothered to pick up on it, then it can't be too bad. Although, if it is getting to be an amazingly annoying problem, allow me to apologise.  
Until next time!


	3. Day 1: Part 2

**The Whammy Chronicles**

**10 Days of Hell**

[Mello, Near, Matt, Linda, Watari, Roger and L are all characters created by Tsugumi Ohba, as are the places involved.

Day 1: Part 2

It had just passed noon when Mello decided he had had enough chasing after the other orphans, and instead (still chewing on his tongue with frustration) wandered throughout the large house.

Off course, he told the others they were now playing hide and seek.

And yes, he had no intention of finding them.

Putting his hands in his pockets, and flicking some hair out of his eyes, he entered the playroom and was amazed to L, sitting alone, working on the same puzzle Near had been working on the previous day.

"Don't you have work to do? Solving cases and… stuff?" Asked Mello, sitting down beside him and watching as the older man glanced at the pieces and set them out simply, not quite as fast as Near but still impressive.

"You'd think so…" Came the muttered reply a few minutes later as it became clear that L had set out the pieces in exactly the right positions, just not together, and was now calmly putting it away once more.

"So! How goes the lack of chocolate… situation?"

Mello frowned; "How about we take away your sweets and you tell me."  
L grinned and bit his finger; "Nah. I don't think we'll be doing that."  
"And why not?"  
"Because I am the grownup, and thus I know what's best for you. Unfortunately, that's just how society works."

He paused then got out of his crouching position and stood up straight, pointing at a cupboard and then behind the nearby sofa, then left the room.

For a moment, Mello was confused and irritated, and at first didn't comprehend he was supposed to investigate, but when he did he was amazed to see that two of the hiders were waiting for him, both looking annoyed at there easy discovery, and had no choice but to take over as Mello suddenly yawned, and walked over to the sofa and, after a moments waiting, lay down along the sofa and closed his eyes.

He felt physically exhausted, and it was only after 1:00 pm at this point.

-+-+-+-

"Linda."

"Yes?"  
"…I'm bored."

Near sat on the windowsill, holding in his hands two objects which seemed completely out of place (an umbrella, and a TV remote) and, after much deducing on his part, had decided he had had enough of just standing in different areas of the house.

Gentleman, or not, he was young and was now finding the craving to go and find some Gundams and play with them too great, he was even tapping his foot impatiently and wringing his hands together and then curling his hair, much to the painters annoyance, and after moment more he dropped the items, smiled and thanked Linda, saying; "It was kind of you to keep me occupied these last few hours, but I feel as if I've gotten the most out of this activity as I can for today. I hope I was useful in your art style."

And without another word he walked away with his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed, thinking deeply in his mind of the various activities he would do if he still had his games, puzzles, toys…

His thoughts lingered, for a second, to his dice and how he would stack them into beautiful cities (in his mind at least), and then, like dominoes they would topple and spray all over the floor.

He remembered one particular occasion when they collapsed after he'd spent three hours creating an incredibly complex tower, and (not bothering to pick them up) he continued the building on the floor, and even got Mello to help!

Granted, he told Mello that if he could beat him in making a tower he would give him some chocolate-

His thoughts lingered on that image for a second, and with simple curiosity he begun to search the orphanage, occasionally finding hiding children as he did so (all who were allegedly hiding from Mello as some sort of game), and after a moment of uncertainty he slowed down, allowed his thoughts to relax, and then calculated exactly what Mello would normally do.

"Eat chocolate." He muttered, frustrated- then snapped his fingers inside his head and walked slowly towards the playroom, opening the door timidly and staring inside as several kids stared at, what appeared to be, a sleeping figure on the sofa.

Matt came up behind him, tapped him twice on the shoulder, and when he didn't respond tapped him twice on the head and requested; "Hey, you can get a better look if you go INSIDE the room, funnily enough."

"I don't like being with to many people unless I have to."  
"Whatever, it's just rare to see Mello sleeping during the day."

Near made a; "Mmm" sound, then timidly stepped into the room and silently came up behind the other kids and, sure enough, Mello was fast asleep on the sofa, his breathing was light and his face was slightly flushed.

"I guess too much exercise and movement, with so little caffeine and sugar, finally got to him." Muttered one kid, scratching his head and then shrugging and leading the other kids away, adding; "I guess that's it for hide and seek then."

Near and Matt however, sat down in front of the sleeping blonde boy and waiting patiently. What for, neither had any idea (although Matt was hoping to request his SP would soon reappear, after having gone missing after the Hide and Seek game had begun).

"Want to smoke?" Asked Matt after a moment, pulling out from behind his ear a white stick and offering it to Near who didn't respond right away, and instead begun listing reasons why smoking was bad, and how it would be better if Matt was to leave the room, just in case those nasty second hand smoke rumours were true.

"…Is that a no then?"

-+-+-+-

"Roger."

"L."

"Watari."  
"Sir."

"Good, now all the formalities are sorted, I wish to arrange two fieldtrips, for the next two days…" Smirked the detective, biting his thumb and stood, hunched over, gazing at the two old men.

"Where too, sir?" Asked Roger, opening the nearby planner as L, with a large grin said;

"Well, since you asked…"

-+-+-+-

"Dinner, kids!" Cried a sudden voice behind Matt and Near, and as the two kids jumped to there feat they noticed that Mello had also awoken and, for yawned once again and muttered; "Damnit, too tired…"

"Please Mello, Ryuzaki says he has an announcement." Said the Maid, finally leaving the three kids to do whatever they wish, and closed the door in the process.

Mello sat up, yawned again and got to his feat, complaining as he did so- then noticed the white figure sitting oddly, and a distinct smell of smoke…

"What the hell are you guys doing?" He finally asked the two boys, rubbing his eyes as he did, and then took a step back; "…You didn't draw on my face or something did you?"

"Good idea." Muttered Matt, also getting to his feat and added; "Near was bored, and I wanted my SP back, but apparently waking you up would be rude so… Instead, we waited and played the Word Association game."

Nate, resting his head on his knee, was now slowly getting up and asked; "…How are you finding the challenge, Mello?"

"Oh. Peachy. I can't stay awake, and I can't eat anything."

"…I can't concentrate, and I'm noticing things I really wish I hadn't noticed before today."

"Such as?" Asked Matt, yawning as he opened the door and led the two tired protégés to the kitchen.

"Well, for one thing, I have white hair apparently."

"…Surely you knew that beforehand."

"I didn't really pay much attention to my appearance, I was to busy focusing on everything else- Wait a second."

He raised an eyebrow and prodded Mello on the side of the cheek, then grinned suddenly and said loudly, just as they entered the dining room, "I had NO idea you were a girl, Mello!"

The entire room fell silent, even the blonde haired boy (I assure you) was rooted to the spot, his eyes wide and even Matt had whistled and quickly made his way to his seat.

Near, however, was unaware of what he'd said, and (still believing his claim) sat down on one of the empty seats and wiped his eyes, apparently taking in the surroundings for the first time (or at least paying them some attention).

Mello finally made a move and, marching towards the white haired kid grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him to the ground and drew back his fist; "I'm a boy, you ass!" He cried, just as Roger and L entered the room, and before he could punch his rival a hand clasped around his own, and he tensed as L separated them both with little trouble, and sat them down and took his place at the front of the table.

"Now, if the domestics are finished with kids… I think you need to all know why I am still here."

He bite his thumb, remained standing, and then said happily; "Tomorrow, and the day after, we are going on two fieldtrips!"

The entire room exploded with excitement, Matt whistled loudly and Mello and Near glanced at each other happily, realising this would be the perfect thing to distract them, until L said the next thing…

"The day after tomorrow, I am taking all of you to the biggest toy store in all of London, so make sure you bring some money because it's gonna be a lot of fun!"

Mello, immediately, burst out laughing as Near frowned and pouted slightly, realising that this would happen sooner, rather than later, in order to try and make him crack…

He calculated the odds in his head that L had planned this situation as a test for both of them, and would have done it sooner or later anyway, but Mello was laughing so much, and his concentration was already dwindling slightly, but what L said next made him smile brightly.

"I shouldn't laugh, Mello. Tomorrow we're going to a chocolate factory."

-+-+-+-

Author's Note: Surely we cant have every chapter, and every day, at Whammy's House, can we? Originally these next chapters were gonna appear later in the story, but having them appear sooner would make Mello and Near struggle more. After that though... well...  
Also! I need some names for the other orphans, so if you have any ideas please write them in and, who knows, they may appear!  
Thanks for the kind reviews as well!


	4. Day 2: Part 1

**The Whammy Chronicles**

**10 Days of Hell**

[Mello, Near, Matt, Linda, Watari, Roger and L are all characters created by Tsugumi Ohba, as are the places involved.

Day 2: Part 1

Mello crawled out of his bed the next morning with horrible bags under his eyes, looking extremely pale, and yawning every five seconds.

If he was a little taller, with black hair, people would have a lot of trouble distinguishing him from his idol, L, and whilst normally this would be a good thing, today Mello wasn't in the mood for any kind of worship…

Today was the day; he was going to a chocolate factory.

And he wasn't allowed to eat anything.

With his sugar level the lowest it'd been since birth, he dragged himself into the kitchen, noting how various kids his age were chattering happily, apparently not being able to contain themselves from the two days of fieldtrips that were about to occur.

Truth be told, the only comfort Mello had was the thought of Near, the next day, struggling just as much as he was.

Currently, it seemed as if Near was unusually calm as he sat at the breakfast table, holding the spoon lightly and acknowledged Mello with a brief "Hello" without even looking at him.

Matt appeared a few moments later, carrying a large bag and promising to collect as much free samples as he could (the word "free" hadn't crossed Mello's mind), and now caused Mello to struggle to keep back his tears.

Breakfast today was, once again, cereal and milk, and despite how tired he was the chocolate loving freak vowed to keep it all down, but unfortunately only got through half before he was coughing and spluttering, swearing madly at the plain meal and then at Near for patting him on the back, and then at Matt for just standing there.

It was clear Mello was in a foul mood, and that's why when L came downstairs (wearing his typical white shirt and blue trousers) and ordered everyone onto the coach, you could just make out behind the happy children a dark aura of blonde hair, and a sugar deprived rage forming into, in Near and L's mind, a storm.

-+-+-+-

On the coach, Near sat by himself (as he was used to), but Matt and Mello once again sat side by side, the former shifting nervously and fumbling with a small box before pulling out his DS and playing a quick game.

Mello, however, was still in his foul mood and made a comment to shout at the bus driver every time he went over a bump he found unnecessarily hard.

"HEY! This is a bus, not a monster truck!"  
"Mello. Sit down." Said Roger, but a growl and a blast of fire (so commented several kids) soon silenced him, and the bus continued to its destination.

Near, however, was passing the time by (as always) playing some sort of mind game with himself. At this exact moment, he counted the cars around him, the speed the coach was travelling, and then tried to estimate exactly how long till he arrived at the Chocolate Factory, and then did the same for the surrounding cars, based on the peoples physical descriptions inside.

Then he instead twisted his hair and sighed, apparently loud enough for L's attention to focus on him, as soon the great detective was crouched down beside him, and asked;

"How goes… everything?"  
"I have deduced that my focus is decreasing due to my minds obsessive nature with the toys and games I used to play with, and such I find it will be a matter of days before I crack and attempt to take them back. In fact, it's at least 67 percent likely. The other 33 percent is me and Mello putting aside our differences and assisting each other and, dare I say it, apologising."

L, biting his thumb, thought on this for a second and then pointed out; "What about at the toy store tomorrow?"  
Near didn't look at his mentor, and continued; "I feel a strong sense that I will be able to restrain myself, Mello may take the day in his stride and try and trick me into playing with something, which will distract him for the day at least."

"Even if it means that you both don't get to become my successors?" L asked, surprised- but Near added;

"Yes. Mello wants to win, and more importantly he wants to beat me. He will try and tempt me."

L nodded, realising at that point how little he knew about the two boys, but carried on as normal and instead glanced around at the other potentials.

One boy, he knew as Sam, had the odd habit of wearing headphones all the time (whether or not he was listening to music was unknown), and another, known as Julian, never seemed to blink and absolutely adored television.

Then there were the girls, Rebecca was a smart one, always reading something and then repeating it back to the others later (although it sometimes got mixed up with fiction, especially during exams) and then there was Kelly, but she was more into boys than anything else…

Linda and Matt were two he had considered alongside Mello and Near to be his successors, but Linda seemed to want the more quiet life and Matt was easily distracted…

He heard the sound of something dying, and then a shout of; "GOD DAMN!" before a smash, and two batteries rolled under the seats towards the front of the bus.

-+-+-+-

Soon enough, in fact Mello spotted it before anyone else, there was a distinct smell in the air, and then as they rounded a corner they came across the chocolate factory, with large walls and massive funnels pumping into the air (Near commented how it was bad for the environment, but Mello had woken up and was now seemingly revitalised by the air), and as the bus pulled to a stop L got to his feat and assigned each two people into a pair, finally stopping at the final four…

"Lessee… Matt and Linda as one pair and Mello and Near as the other. Ok! Everyone off the bus and Roger will lead you in."

Cursing, Mello stood at Near's side and the two walked off the bus together, and whilst Mello was anxious, frustrated, and hungry, he didn't let that stop him asking Near; "How goes it with all the toys? Cracked yet?"  
"Fortunately not. But I'm more concerned about you and this factory, you are incredibly pale… You know, chocolate isn't the only thing with sugar and caffeine, you could get something else with sugar, and maybe drink coffee-."

Mello was offended, clearly because he had prodded Near in the chest and snapped; "And cheat on my beloved? Never! I'd rather die."

Near sighed, curled his hair once more, and felt the shade pass over him as they finally entered the large factory, and sure enough Mello nearly collapsed, the smell overpowering him so much…

It took him a moment to realise he was chewing, and then realised it was his tongue and the air was his nourishment, but he paid it no mind and, grabbing Near's arm, dragged them after Roger and L who were following a tour guide.

Mello was pleased to see that L looked extremely bored.

"All right kids!" Cried the tour guide suddenly; "How many of you… LOVE chocolate?"

Mello shot his hand into the air without even thinking, having grown accustomed to the habit, and was shocked when the man offered him a free sample of the latest, chewiest, experimental bar, and as his eyes widened at the black substance before him he was about to take it when Near shot out his own hand and shoved the chewy bar down his throat, his eyes widening for the second time in three days as the sugary sensation hit him.

As the man shrugged and walked away, continuing the tour, Mello grabbed Near and, when L and Roger were around the corner, snapped; "WHAT THE HELL!?"

"If I have to, I will eat every bar you lay your eyes on." Snapped Near, apparently still feeling the sugar make its way through his fragile body, and his arm jerked suddenly and he continued; "Please understand, I don't want either of us to lose."

"…This is a game for you, isn't it?"

Near smiled.

"It was this, or try one of Matt's cigarettes."

The two boys stared at each other, and then Mello grinned, apparently life flowing back into his cheeks as his other favourite past time suddenly came to life.

"I'm not gonna fail again, Near, you're gonna lose this time!"

And as the two boys ran back after the tour group, Near smiled in his head, realising his plan was now a success and, hopefully, Mello would keep his hands to himself, and away from the poor innocent candy.

-+-+-+-

"Hey kids! Do you know what time it is?"

"Home time?" Muttered Matt, playing his PSP and cursing as Linda nudged him sharply.

"It's time for two of you to read the Chocolate Rollercoaster!" And with a dramatic shout, he indicated at the large twirling rollercoaster tracks and two-seater cart that extended around most of the factory, and with a grin he started pretending to look through the kids to find the perfect riders.

L glanced at Roger, and then at the tour guide, and asked;

"Say what? This is a chocolate factory!"

The tour guide continued to smile his goofy grin, and then added; "Yes. In order to make it more fun, we made a chocolate rollercoaster for two special kids to ride on in the tour group; apparently it adds replay value and gives us more business. Anyway, I choose… THOSE two at the back."

He pointed at the end where the two boys had just re-attached themselves to the group, and as he asked L for there names Mello put his hands in his face and wept for a second, muttering how it wasn't fair.

"Mello and Near! You get the first ride on the chocolate rollercoaster!"

"Off… course we do." Cursed the blonde haired orphan, putting his hands in his pockets and leading the way up to the top once again with Near, listening to the man explain; "There is a loop the loop, a corkscrew, and even a chocolate waterfall you must pass under! Have fun kids!"

Near glanced at his white clothes, then twirled his hair, and glanced at L and then at Mello, who instead dragged the pale kid into the cart and snapped as the large metal restraints went around there bodies;

"Hey Mello?" Near suddenly asked, glancing at the boy beside him, his expression un-readable.

"Yeah, what is it?" Came the reply, his face white with fear as he noticed how high they had to go.

"Are you seriously not a girl?"

-+-+-+-

Authors Note: A rollercoaster in a chocolate factory? Dont ask me, I just write this thing.


	5. Day 2: Part 2

**The Whammy Chronicles**

**10 Days of Hell**

[Mello, Near, Matt, Linda, Watari, Roger and L are all characters created by Tsugumi Ohba, as are the places involved.

Day 2: Part 2

Screams echoed from the rollercoaster as it continued its ascension, and whilst the majority of the kids glanced at each other and assumed it was nearly Near freaking out about the height, a select few knew better.

"Oh snap…" Muttered L, rubbing his temple with his finger and thumb as the rollercoaster rested at the top, just overlooking the rest of the ride, and he knew it was going to be hard enough to restrain Mello, but if Near had done something to aggravate the chocolate deprived knucklehead…

There was a loud scream as the ride begun its descent, and judging from the power of the screams it was clear that both boys had been taken aback.

"Roger, when they get down we are going to need some towels."

"Yes, Ryuzaki."

"And some cake."

"Yes, sir." Roger paused, then quickly added; "…Why, sir?"

"My stomach is protesting that we have been around this chocolate factory and have yet to taste any delicious free samples." He gave a side-glance to the tour guide and then bit his thumb; "Granted, I would prefer strawberries…"

Whilst L mused over his unholy obsession with delicious sugary substances, in a small cart hurtling through the factory, two boys held onto each other and screamed loudly.

"Near!" Screamed Mello, squeezing the younger boy loudly and then, remembering his rage, pulled his hair and held onto the metal rail across there legs.

Up and down, side to side, the ride continued on and on, and both boys continued to scream as it grew more and more chaotic!

Near, however, was going even paler as they swung around and around through the air, so much so that he closed his eyes and reached out and held onto Mello again- but was pushed away by the cranky older boy, and with a feeling of resentment Near opened his eyes-

Just in time for them to go under the chocolate waterfall.

The ride stopped a moment later in the collection terminal, and as L and Roger stood and gapped at them, Mello opened his mouth and screamed silently as the oozing liquid flowed over his skin, making him breathe heavily as the very thing he craved for literally seeped alone him.

Near, however, was weeping silently as his white hair and clothes were now stained by the disgusting sugary caffeine filled substance, and he was relieved when L put a blanket over the two of them and helped them up.

"Mello, if you digest any of that chocolate I'm afraid you lose the bet. Please contain yourself."

He felt the young boy tense up, and his mouth close, but it was clear he was going to snap-

A large blast of water exploded from nearby, and the entire tour group turned to see Matt, holding a large hose, and spraying the two kids with such power it would probably have thrown them through the air if they were standing.

Roger ran to Matt and turned off the hose, asking frantically what he was thinking- But Matt merely replied he needed a break and continued to play with the small box in his pocket.

Mello however, stood still and glared at Matt with an emotionless expression. True, he was clean, but it was clear that a killing intent was in his eyes.

Near however seemed quite pleased that he was clean, and removed himself silently from the ride and sat down on the ground- until he realised that several of the girls in the group were laughing, and with a glance he realised why.

It had never occurred to Near that when white clothes get wet that they'd become see through…

-+-+-+-

It was an hour later, and L shook his head as he calculated various things in his head.

For one, he had to decide how exactly he was going to control Mello from killing Matt.  
Another, he had to find a way of helping the, apparently not very shy, Near get some clean clothes (currently he was sitting in front of a dryer).

And Matt? He had to deal with the new ridiculously reckless nature the boy currently seemed to be exhibiting…

Finally though, he had to decipher the ultimate question…

Biting his thumb and listening to Roger talking to the tour guide about what was next, he asked loudly to all the kids; "Who stole my cake?!"  
Glances immediately passed to Mello, who glared back and promptly revealed he was on the rollercoaster, so they could all go to hell.

Near didn't even shift slightly and Matt continued to shift uncomfortably in a corner… Only one person seemed to be guilty.

The tour guides eyes widened, and he opened his hands and muttered; "I am so sorry, it's just we don't allow anything but chocolate in this factory, and when I saw your strawberry cake-."  
L un-crouched from the floor, his eyes wide with disbelief, and he glared at the man as he removed his hands from his own pockets.

"It's like I always say…" He said just loudly enough for those nearest to him to hear, "…An eye for an eye!"

Ducking down at amazing speed, his left thought shot through the air and smashed the tour-guide in the chest and, with a satisfying grunt, the man shot backwards and hit the ground with a thud, apparently amazed at what had just happened, and with a look of fear in his eyes he prepared to run, when L suddenly offered him a hand and added; "We're even. Please continue the tour."

He glanced at the emotional response of his two protégés, and was pleased to see that they were just as he had anticipated.

Near was indifferent, but it was clear he disagreed with the harsh method.

Mello was grinning, apparently believing it was cool.

Just as expected…

-+-+-+-

After a generous payoff, being rich gives you such privileges, the tour-guide was careful and begun to continue the rest of the tour, and after such a delay by the three more troublesome kids, it was time to move it onto the grand finale.

"All right children! Take your time in this room and take as many free samples as you wish, we have all the types you could think of! Plain, nut, fruit, crunchy, double chocolate, triple chocolate and our experimental… Quadruple Chocolate."

Someone seemed to scream in anguish, but no-one noticed as the other kids took off into the piles and machines as fast as they could, except for L who paced on the spot biting his thumb- until a faint aroma hit his nose, and he turned and his mouth fell open as he read the sign.

"Chocolate… Fruit Cake with Cream?" He whispered, biting so hard on his finger that it broke the skin, but he was to far gone to turn back now, and ran as fast as he could at the machine and, laughing like a kid, waited patiently for the first delicious cake to descend his way.

Mello, Near and Matt sat alone in the middle of the room though, each looking more and more uncomfortable.

"Alright, I get why I'm here, I can't eat chocolate." Snapped Mello, as if this had just occurred to him, "But why are you two here?" He asked, pointing at the two boys sitting alongside him.

Near shrugged and muttered; "I don't… like eating a lot of chocolate."

Matt followed suit, but instead drew open the box and, with a nervous shift around at the two adults (Roger was scolding L, who had just tried dropping a shoe into the machine) hid a cigarette behind his ear.

"I just want to smoke this and get the hell out of here."

"You and me both…" Muttered Mello as, to his disgust, the loud chomping of his long lost companion (off two days) echoed in his ears, and to make things worse… he noticed with amazement that the other kids were being so wasteful!

One boy took a bite of a bar, looked at it with disgust and dropped it before getting another one.

Linda seemed to be taking it in stride, and was actually drawing something with what appeared to be a chocolate stick and some melted chocolate.

It was still enough to drive Mello crazy.

He put his hands on his head and begun to hyperventilate, glancing around the room frantically and would have screamed, if not for a sudden pale hand on his arm.

Mello glanced at Near, who was holding his knee with one arm, and he said concerned; "It will be ok, we are both struggling but just remember that we both want to win. Together, we can beat L at his game."

Apparently moved by such an action, Matt felt the cigarette on his ear and with great strength flicked it across the room.

Mello shrugged Near or his arm, then asked with a raised eyebrow; "What are you up to?"

The redhead smiled, and lay back on the chocolate covered ground and explained; "I'll make you both a deal… I think you'll both benefit."

Near didn't respond verbally, but he did seem intrigued with this new development, and quickly made calculations through his brain.

"I'll quit smoking, the entire time you two quit your habits. That way I can help you out, and you can help me."

"Wouldn't it be best if you quit video games?"

"Let's not go crazy!"

Matt and Mello burst out laughing, and the silent Near smiled, but his eyes then narrowed as he realised that tomorrow it was his day to suffer.

Tomorrow they were going to a toy store… And it was a big one, with no tour guides, just a day surrounded by things he would love to get his hands on.

And he wasn't allowed to touch anything.

Plus, Matt was surely going to be irritable, and Mello was more than likely going to be even more tired than he already was…

Unless he found a distraction, he was more than likely going to snap just like Mello.

The three boys sat in silence once again, now realising just what they had gotten themselves into (Matt was clearly regretting his decision) and when L announced it was time to go, the three boys marched behind all the other kids and sat in complete silence on the way back to the Orphanage.

Surely, thought Mello after getting into bed, he had survived two days and even survived a direct contact with his temptation, surely it wouldn't be so bad from now on…

But his thoughts then lingered to Near, and he wondered just how strong his rival was.

A toy store was sure to be worse than a chocolate factory… Could Near survive?

And what was Matt going to do?

He sighed and lay back, staring at the ceiling, unaware that several rooms away Near was doing the same thing.

"Who signed me up for all of this?" The boys said in unison.

-+-+-+-  
Authors Note: Sorry for the delays, should be daily updates for a while!


	6. Day 3: Part 1

**The Whammy Chronicles**

**10 Days of Hell**

[Mello, Near, Matt, Linda, Watari, Roger and L are all characters created by Tsugumi Ohba, as are the places involved.

Day 3: Part 1

As blank and emotionless as Near was, it was certainly no surprise when the young boy awoke the next day, and felt a feeling of dread instantly in his stomach.

Surely, it was to be expected, considering the young protégé to the legendary L was now going to be faced with his most important task yet.

And believe me… this task is nothing in comparison to the Kira case.

Near sat up, clutching his leg as the sun seeped through under the curtains, and he whipped the sleep from his eyes and thought, dreamingly, "Today…"

After a few moments of calm sitting, it was finally time to move and allow the day to progress, and as he listened he could here kids running down the hallways excitedly, and worse, his door opened and there stood L, sucking a lollypop and smiling brightly; "Morning."

"…Yes. It is."

"You have 30 minutes to get ready."

"…And Mello?"

L bit his thumb absentmindedly, as if he wasn't entirely sure, but then snapped his fingers and revealed; "In the playroom, resting on the couch. He is exhausted and very cranky, and hasn't eaten much in the last few days."

Near nodded, then stood up and drew back the curtains, flinching at the wave of sunlight that passed over his extremely pale skin, and with a small, almost funny, grunting noise he turned back to L and slowly walked towards him.

After passing the detective, he stopped and added suddenly; "This whole task is a game, you realise that."

"Off course Near. But who wins? Me? You? Mello? Or…" He stopped, then smiled and walked away, leaving Near to stand still and think over this information, and then finally continue on his way.

"Bathing and breakfast… How troublesome, on a day like this…" He said to no-one in particular.

-+-+-+-

Matt was chewing his Nintendo DS.

That entire sentence should be good enough to explain how the peculiar red head currently felt.

But, for elaboration, Matt was situated beside Mello in the playroom. His best friend was asleep and, for whatever reasons he currently had, without a distraction, Matt was finally feeling the tug of his habit, and was immediately regretting his decision.

"Give up smoking… What was I thinking!? Maybe I should have given up the video games, I could last without- Wait. I take that back. I take that back!" He hugged the DS, apparently ignoring that it had a large chewing mark on one side, then scowled and muttered how I longed for a PSP.

It was then he noticed the door opening, and without turning around smiled and said calmly; "L."

"Matt. How goes things?"

Matt pondered this for a second, then replied; "I'm as un-focused as Near, and as sarcastic as Mello. And this was before I quit smoking."

L chuckled, then ducked down next to his third choice, and asked; "How long have you been smoking?"

"Long enough. It calms me down."

"You are aware of all health implications?"  
"I'm not stupid L. But if I'm going to die, then I doubt it's gonna be through smoking. What with the line of work we're all training for…"

L nodded, then stood up and said; "Don't let anyone else see you doing it. Roger doesn't have a clue, but if he did he would not be pleased."

Matt nodded, then added with a grin; "I quit for the same amount of time as Near and Mello."

L seemed surprised, truthfully he hadn't expected this, and now it had hit him… well… He was amazed he hadn't done it before!

"Why?" He finally asked, finally properly focusing on the small red head.

Matt shrugged, then activated his DS once again and muttered; "Because it would make it easier on them? Maybe… But to be honest, I figured you'd pay some attention to your "third choice" if I was doing something as hard as your two favourites."

L nodded; "Quite true. When Mello awakens tell him that the coach will be leaving soon. If he doesn't awaken, then… well… wake him up. Obviously."

Matt nodded, then lowered the goggles over his eyes and smiled as L left the room, confident that the young boy would be a valuable asset to any investigation team.

For better, or worse, Matt had a strength that Mello and Near would both need learn.

L just hoped they'd discover it soon.

-+-+-+-

The coach was boarded, Near sat alone once again, his face losing what little colour it already had, and Matt and Mello sat quietly together, the former looking twitchy and the latter looking… dead.

However, the rest of the bus was buzzing with excitement. It wasn't everyday that the great L took them somewhere, and never twice in two days, and never to such fun and exciting places.

Yesterday was fun, no doubt, but today?

The kids had already emptied out there savings and were preparing to purchase… whatever they could that would provide them with suitable entertainment, and whilst Near certainly could see the fun side in it, and he was definitely certain that if it was him going to this store, under his normal circumstances, he would buy a variety of new toys, currently he just felt low and… sad.

Mello didn't look much better, he thought though, glancing at the blonde headed chocolate lover who seemed to be suffering not just psychologically, but physically as well.

Matt noticed this as well, and whilst he was concerned with the lack of nicotine flowing through his body, and the dying batteries in his SP, he did take the time out to put his hand across his friends head, and note with each passing moment how Mello seemed to be falling asleep even more frequently…

"Quit it…" Mello snapped eventually, shoving Matt half-heartedly and then turned away and glared out the window, noting with each passing moment how every second they grew closer and closer to a place that Near was dreading…

He smiled, and then coughed.

-+-+-+-

"Right, kids! Here we are… Hamleys toy store, England."

Near couldn't help but marvel at the building, especially at how it was located in such a busy part of London, and he felt a particular numb feeling within his stomach, and lowered his head as a warm feeling crept across his cheeks.

He was scared.

That is, until a nudge on his arm by Linda, and a kind smile from Matt and Mello, made him look up and smile.

"I guess I'll just pick out exactly what I want, and buy it next time." He thought, firmly believing he would survive the day without being tempted-

That is until they walked through the door, and lo and behold on a large sign…

Basement: Lego.  
Ground Floor: Teddies.  
1st Floor: Board games, sport and outdoor.  
2nd Floor: Baby toys.  
3rd Floor: Girls toys.  
4th Floor: Model Sets, and…  
5th Floor: Boys Toys.

His eyes lingered across the list.

So much variety.

Everything he could possibly want, in each section, just waiting…

His hand stretched out, and his fingers traced the words; "Lego."

He wasn't even aware that L was talking…

That is, until Mello grabbed his arm lightly and said with a cough; "What about yesterday? When we got back home, you said "Let's all do our best", and already your falling?"

Near lowered his eyes, then glanced back at the sign. It was true, he thought that in his heart of hearts he could outperform Mello… But here he was, already becoming transfixed with these models, action figures… Lego!  
"-And so I expect everyone to meet in the restaurant upstairs for lunch, and then we will discuss exactly what we all want to purchase, before we have another few hours of looking and then making our final decisions. I have also been given permission to allow all of you to play with the toys on display; just don't open up the ones in packaging, as we will have to pay for those."

He then smiled and added; "Also, bare in mind that I expect you all to play together!"

Near's eyes widened as he remembered back to the rules of the game;

"Near, you will survive without playing with any toys, although playing with other kids is not forbidden…" That is what L had said.

Did that mean that Near was fine to play, as long as it involved interacting with some other people?

But he wasn't allowed to play with toys, so that involved no board games or action figures… did that include balls?

It seemed as if L had read Near's mind, as he had soon arrived before him and crouched down to the white headed albino, and said gently; "Make sure whatever you do, there are at least more than two other people playing, understand?"

Near twirled a curl of his hair, symbolising he was now concentrating with new powerful vigour, and said with a smile; "Teamwork, eh?"

L nodded, and turned away, reading the sign and muttering; "I wonder if they sell and cakes at the café…"

Near however grinned to himself, realising he could certainly win this contest now, all he had to do was play with other people for a few days.

"Mello? Matt? Want to… play football?" He asked without looking at the two other boys, but he turned and realised they had disappeared, and noted with a blank expression that they were moving down to the Lego section of the store.

"…Damn." He said finally.

"This means I actually NEED to interact… What a pain…"

-+-+-+-  
Authors Note: Today is a good day. I finally finished collecting the Death Note mangas (after watching the movies and anime), and I really enjoyed the ending. Now I just need to wait for Volume 13 (How to Read) and "Another Note".  
Oh February...


End file.
